Celebrate Sunday Mass at St. Alphonsus!
Greetings!
In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus heals the man born blind and reveals himself as the Son of Man. This healing invites us to focus on the physical and spiritual aspects of sight and light. The reading has many allusions to Baptism. The washing of the man in the pool of Siloam is a prototype for Christian Baptism. Through the man’s encounter with Jesus, the man born blind is healed, his sight is restored, and his conversion to discipleship begins. The man born blind gradually comes to a greater understanding about who Jesus is and what it means to be his disciple, while the Pharisees (those who should see) are the ones who remain blind.
Daily prayer keeps you in good relationship with the LORD, and yourself.
Lent, and the Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross will not be prayed in church on Friday March 24th because our 8th parish graders will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation at 7 PM. Please keep our students in your prayers that their hearts be fully open to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
So instead, please join our pastor Fr. Steven Bauer at the Athenaeum Center on Thursday March 23rd at 6 PM for "Seeing the Garden Through the Trees – A Spiritual Reflection on Lucas Reiner's Stations." Reiner's exhibition of The Stations is a series of symbolic representational paintings using artistic elements of color, light, texture, and trees to evoke the sentiments of the Stations of the Cross. The exhibit engages the profound capacity of art to embody a universal human longing to comprehend suffering, loss, and the passage of time. Fr. Bauer's reflections will help us appreciate how salvation history, Christ's Passion, and our encounters with life and art can be woven together and offer a fresh glimpse into God's plan of redemption and restoration.
All parishioners are invited to take part in the Disciple Maker Index survey. Your participation will help provide our pastor and parish ministerial leaders with a better understanding of where to focus efforts and energies to help you grow in your faith and achieve our parish’s mission. This is a very important survey and all members of our faith community are kindly asked to please complete! Your responses are immensely appreciated! The DMI survey will be open for responses now until March 31.
Men's Evening prayers group (Vespers) continue on Wednesdays from 8:15 to 9 PM in the chapel.
Friends Through Faith- Volunteers Needed!
The newly formed Friends Through Faith Adult Social Group hopes to foster essential faith-filled connections and build our St. Alphonsus community through fellowship and fun.
In order to maintain this group, we need volunteers. We will have a zoom committee meeting to discuss specifics. If you are interested, please email Amy!
We gather for breakfast, cocktails, coffee, and tea the last Sunday of every month following the 11 AM mass.
Connecting with other parishioners can lead to lasting friendships, fruitful ministries, or even just a friendly wave and smile the next time you attend Mass. We hope to create small service groups, outings and friendships out of this community.
To register for the March 26 gathering, please email Amy Keefner.
Our parish will be hosting an American Red Cross blood drive on Sunday March 26 in the Festival Hall. You can register for an appointment by going online to www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive and scrolling through the dates until you see St. Alphonsus on the 26th.
In anticipation of our Holy Week liturgies, our St. Alphonsus Cleaning Angels ministry will be volunteering to help clean and beautify our Church! This service project will take place this morning Saturday, April 1 from 9 AM to 10:30 AM. Come and help out your church!
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Immigration Ministry 40 Days of Prayer, Fasting and Action for Immigration Reform: Livestream Rosary Every Wednesday in Lent at 6 PM. All are welcome to join in the 2023 multilingual Lenten Campaign for Immigration. The campaign provides the opportunity to share one’s faith through prayer, fasting and acts of mercy to raise awareness of the need for immigration reform. Participants sign up to commit to their choice of prayer, fasting and acts of mercy for one or several days. For more information or Register here
National Pastoral Migratoria Lenten Calendar 2023. National Pastoral Migratoria invites you to participate in a Lenten journey of faith, reflection, and action. As you recall the steps and agony of Jesus in the desert you are invited to see the suffering face of Christ in immigrants and refugees. Please use and share this Lenten calendar (English | Spanish) as a guide for reflection and action as we continue the 17-year journey for immigration reform.
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2023 Lent
Encountering Jesus this Lent
An encounter with Jesus is a moment in which we can see or hear Him at work in our lives. It may be through a sacrament or in reflecting on the Word of God; it may be in an act of love or charity on our part or that of another person; it may be in a quiet moment of prayer; it may be a moment of grace contemplating creation. With this in mind, here are two questions to consider throughout Lent:
- When and where do I encounter Jesus Christ in my life?
- How do I share these moments of encounter with others?
Lenten Video Reflections and Resources
To assist all in our community in your Lenten preparation and practices, a few multimedia resources: YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as well as at the following:
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Knights of Columbus
St. Alphonsus Parish Lenten Fish Fry,
March 31, 6:00-9:00PM
in the Festival Hall
Menu: Breaded Cod, Coleslaw, Peas, Carrots, Chips, Hawaiian Bread, Mini-Cupcakes
Admission: Adults: $15, ages 5-12 $7, Under 5 are Free
Children tickets purchased at the door.
BYOB for Alcoholic beverages only; non-alcohol drinks and desserts will be available. Entertainment includes two performances from the Trinity Irish Dancers, Cornhole/Bags, and children games! Fish, Families, Fun & more!
Our parish needs many volunteers to make this event a success!!
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Young Adult Ministry
St. Alphonsus has a vibrant young adult community! Be sure to check out our Facebook page for service opportunities and other future events!
Dip N'Dunk March Madness Watch Party
Saturday, March 18 | 4:00 PM
Come to St. Al's Festival Hall on Saturday, March 18th starting at 4 PM to watch March Madness college basketball games while digging into various delicious dips!
Everybody loves March Madness, but we're pairing ours with an array of fantastic dips made by members of the St. Al’s YAM community! Think you have the best dip recipe? Sign up at the Google Form link here to let us know if you are going to bring a dip to share. If you plan on attending and don't bring dip or chips, we ask you to bring $5 to enjoy what's been made. We'll be voting on the best dip at the end of the event!
And don't worry, we'll have multiple screens going so you can watch your favorite basketball team playing the games.
Other snacks, beer and soda will be provided as well.
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Dancers from Ballet 5:8 will present Mourning, an original work in conjunction with the Stations. Begin your Holy Week with this ballet reflection on grief and hope. Tuesday, April 4th, 7PM, Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture, 2936 N Southport Ave. Tickets are free, with a suggested donation. For more info, please visit: athenaeumcenter.org
Grief is inescapable. Every culture has different rituals to process grief, yet a strand of shared humanity exists in the ebb and flow of grief. We can turn away from the five stages of grief, shield ourselves from the pain of a lost future, but we find that when we face our suffering, the darkest of night can give way to the warmth of morning.
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At the Athenaeum
Tree of Life | Tree of Death: What Reiner’s Trees Teach Us About the Passion of Jesus. Monday, March 27th, 7 PM, Athenaeum Center, 2936 N Southport Ave. Tickets are free, with a suggested donation. For more info, please visit: athenaeumcenter.org
Fr Paul Anel, a Brooklyn based priest and artist, will invite us into deeper contemplation of Christ’s Passion, sacrifice, and our own humanity as he delves into Reiner’s use of nature in the Stations.
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Faith Formation
Rev. Steven Bauer and our parish staff are always open to the faithful in assisting with your spiritual journey. May God bless us with patience and peace as we seek to live in harmony with one another and all creation!
Walking With Purpose- Women’s Group at St. Alphonsus— Tuesday mornings and evenings 9:30-11 AM or 6:30-8 PM.
Come as you are. You are welcome here. Make authentic connections with other women! Refuel and Refresh! Learn more about God!
We live in a self-centered culture that all too often leaves us feeling empty and dissatisfied. A fuller view of God and His glory is the perfect antidote— find this during our journey through the Beholding Your King Bible study.
We’ll study King David, select psalms, the temple, and many Old Testament prophets and see the ways in which they all point to the coming King of Kings, Jesus Christ. This Nine-Lesson Bible study is the second part of a two-part series and is ideally completed after Beholding His Glory.
Our friends at the Notre Dame McGrath Institute have released a Prayer Enrichment Guidebook. You can download the guidebook here. There are also a handful on the table in the narthex of our church.
8 Steps to Energize Your Faith
Tuesday, March 28th (10:00 AM - Noon)
Join Loyola Press and the Vicariate IV Team this Lent to renew your faith and to be energized to live as true disciples of Jesus Christ. In this presentation, Dr. Joe Paprocki will draw from his new book, 8 Steps to Energize your Faith, to offer practical, every-day strategies for tapping into Divine energy. Flyer with more information.
Online Lenten Discernment Group
Do you think you might have a calling? During Lent, Rev. Timothy Monahan is hosting an online discernment group for participants to learn more about the priesthood and the life of a priest. Meetings will take place on Zoom from 8:30 - 9:30 PM on Wednesdays until April 5. Register here! Once registered, participants will receive the Zoom link and materials for the meeting. Reach out to Katie Hazen with any questions.
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Safe Families for Children Ministry
Donate a Backpack/Duffel Bag for Safe Families for Children!
When a child arrives at a Safe Families For Children (SFFC) host family's house, they often don't come with much... maybe an extra outfit or two, but rarely anything beyond that. Our goal during Lent, with the help of various parish community groups, is to create 15 "Safe Families Blessing Bags" for use over the next year.
We are in need of:
- Baby/toddler clothes sizes: 9mo, 18mo, 4T/4, 5/6
- All genders/sizes shoes & boots
- New or slightly-used small/medium stuffed animals
If you can help provide any of these items (or equivalent gift card), please either leave the items in the narthex/parish office Safe Families donation bins, or reach out to safefamiliesstals@gmail.com to coordinate a drop-off time. Thank you for your generosity!
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Stewardship at St. Alphonsus
"Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine." (Proverbs 3: 9-10)
What Does It Mean To Give First Fruits?
Thank you and God bless you!
- Text Sunday to 773-570-7600
- Click on the link you receive via text
- Fill in the information and click "Submit Form" to make your gift!
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Annual Catholic Appeal.
The theme, Walking On The Road With Jesus, is inspired by Pope Francis' call to the entire Church to become "synodal", that is, to journey together with the Lord prompted by the Holy Spirit. Please give what you can to the 2023 Annual Catholic Appeal. Be sure to designate St. Alphonsus-Chicago when making an online gift.
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Living Peace and Justice
Becoming a Church of the Poor: The Vincentian Charism and Reform
April 13 – April 15 in Chicago and via livestream
Each year, World Catholicism Week gathers scholars and practitioners from around the world to reflect on a theme. The 2023 global gathering will address how the Vincentian charism can contribute to the process of reform that Pope Francis has inaugurated: What is the Vincentian vision for making the Church more open to God and to the poor? How does the Church need to reform, and what kinds of internal and external resistance does it face? How is a reforming Church simultaneously a Church dedicated to the transformation of the world, addressing pressing concerns of economic, political, and environmental justice? To learn more about the Conference and to register, click here.
Calling all students! U.S Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking are sponsoring a video contest for high school students across the U.S to respond to "What would you do?" These videos will raise awareness, educating and empowering students on how to identify and prevent human trafficking. Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places.
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Around the Archdiocese
Divine Mercy Parish in Winnetka and St. Benedict the African Parish in Chicago will host performances this weekend by the renowned glee club from Spelman College, one of the country’s two historically black colleges for women. Both performances are free and open to the public. The glee club is making Chicagoland one of the stops on its spring 2023 tour and will perform Saturday, March 18, at 7 PM, at Sacred Heart Church at Divine Mercy, 1077 Tower Road, in Winnetka. The following day, Sunday, March 19, the club will perform at 3 PM., at St. Benedict the African Church, 340 W. 66th St., Chicago. The Spelman College Glee Club has been a renowned chorus since 1924 that has performed at the White House and with music legends such as Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder. Tickets or reservations are not required for the concerts, but a free will offering is requested to help cover the costs of the tour.
Presentation: Easter and the Lenten Journey in the Catholic Tradition – March 18
All are welcome to attend a presentation entitled, “Easter and the Lenten Journey in the Catholic Tradition", by Susan M. Pudelek, M.Div, Assistant Director in the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs on Saturday, March 18, 4 – 5 PM. at the Home of Harmony, 3801 N Keeler, Chicago, 60641. The talk is hosted by the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago, a Hindu-affiliated society and longtime leader in interreligious dialogue.
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When we plan our weekly giving, and set this money aside first, we demonstrate the great importance that God and the support of the Gospel have in our lives.
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Our weekly bulletin features many of the ways you can contribute to the vibrancy of St. Alphonsus parish.
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